'journal review' -- oh really?

Y'know, I had thought that a certain community was pretty fair and honest, but lo and behold, I offer my journal for review and get such responses as this:

"You are whacked in the head.""I also think your stong religious conviction is laughable considering your sexual obsession with Angelina Jolie.""As far of the rest of your journal goes: Boring. Boring. BORING! Plus, I think you have emotional problems.""You also seem really obsessed with rape." (this person went on to mention a really 'good' movie about rape)----

So I came to the conclusion that I was not, in fact, going to get impartial reviews based on my writing style and netiquette, just many many comments insinuating that I am unintelligent, immoral, insane, my layout is dreadful, my userinfo is silly, and I can't write, all in a thinly veiled attack for talking about God or rape in my journal. I suppose I should have known -- it is after all a rating community... but I was led astray by the constructive (for the most part) comments on the other entries. Something about my views just unleashed hate.

I responded with this:"So we disagree. I'm mature enough to understand that because an opinion is different from mine, it is not necessarily invalid."

and deleted my 'review'... and then the moderator himself invaded my journal to call me a pussy (I didn't read past that), etc., for being so 'uptight' about my journal. Good grief.

I have had people on LJ tell me that they like reading my posts and enjoy my writing style. It has always been unsolicited and I simply write about what I know. I do it with the same humor and honesty that I use to get me through my life. I was once told when I expressed an interest in being a writer "Write about what you know." If you are happy with what you write, if people respond (weather it is favorably or not) you have touched them. I think people who elevate themselves to status as "critics" rarely know what they are talking about. Write from your heart, use spell check, and keep doing what you are doing.

Noone can really rate your journal. It's all about your thoughts, right? Well, noone can judge that but you. I wouldn't even think about it anymore. If there mod came to bug you in your own journal, that mod needs more to do with thier life.

reviews of my life and my journal? nah, i dont need anyone who doesnt know me to THINK they have a right to say what's right or wrong about my life or journal. ... sowwy, i just really hate rating communities...its like high school all over again. a bunch of mean spirited people getting off on ridiculing someone. there's no positive to it. it WILL be ALL negative. because insults are more fun than praise.

Hi, you don't know me, but I am actually a "voting member" of ljreviewz. I put voting member in quotations because I haven't written a review in months because the other members are complete jackasses. They rip every single journal to shreds based merely on one comment or one statement, they don't rate the journals on a collective whole. I am happy than you have risen above them, deleting your entry was the smartest thing you could have done, no one needs that kind of un-constructive criticism. Also, the comments on the whole rape thing were ridiculous, I am in complete agreement with you on how talking about it glorifies it, the same with suicide. And actually the moderator is a guy, not a girl, and I guarantee that he is a bigger pussy than you because I went to high school with him. He just talks a big game on-line, he could never back it up in a real fight or argument

thanks. ;-)The whole idea of rating is ridiculous -- unless the people judging are qualified to judge, their judgement means nothing. And I've seen some of the journals of accepted members and wondered how they managed to get in!

I for one, could care less what the others say.....I find your journal to be refreshing, and of all my friends post, you tend to contain the least (if any) negativity when posting. Its refreshing and i sincerely appreciate it. Between that and you unconditional willingness to confess you belief / Love of God, ensures that there are few post i'd rather read than yours.

Sadly, you come face to face with things like this when you post where (a) people that can't feel better about themselves unless they are belittling people for some reason (real or imaginary). (they likely find it much easier to do to strangers they'll never be face to face with. the "sony eye'd medusa" syndrome), or (b) 12 year olds who think its the cool thing to do......or (c) both "a" and "b".

I for one am Thankful for your post. Its a refreshing change from most of what i get from Lj. *hugs* (and anyone that doesn't have a crush on Angelina should have their head examined).

Honestly, it's what shoud be expected of most all rating communities. There's no ay that you can judge a persons journal because it's judging the person themselves. Why is that ridiculous? because no two people are alike. It's like comparing an apple to an orange and an orange to a banana.

About rape, I think that there are ways to express the trauma whithout graphicaly dipicting it. And if you've made it known that you've been raped, those remarkes were especially callous. You have to live with it, not them. For that I offer you my compassion and sympathies.

I've come to see (being new to your journal) that we differ in our beliefs, but you were condemned for them. Do I think the reason you voted for Bush was the best? Not particularly, but it was your choice. For me to condemn it would be hypocritical as I want my choices to be respected.Nothing to do with tolerance,understand. Respect.

Thank you for the sympathies on the rape issue -- I couldn't believe their arrogance. It's not okay to show a black man being beaten by a white man as art, but it's okay to show a woman being raped by a man -- because people manage to believe that those are different. Ugh. They are both incredibly wrong.

As far as the Bush thing, that was only half of my reason for voting for him -- it was just the part she pounced on.

I like your thoughts about respect, and share them. ;-) Hi and welcome! (what a first post for you to read!)

People who would go rating journals are bound just to be people who enjoy criticising. Makes them feel clever, especially if they insult your intelligence. That and many people who don't believe in a god tend to group all believers together as being stupid and laughable- even otherwise intelligent people. Its one of the strangest things. I'm going to aggressively pity them from a distance.

Also wanted to say that i love that icon so much, the cat. I feel like that picture a lot, which is one reason. Other reason is it has such wonderful big furry paws. Cats paws are one of the best things in the world, big cats, little cats, any. All soft with hidden claws.

doesn't even make sense, does it? I can't see the connection, can't someone be sexually obsessed with Angelina Jolie and be religious? Leaving aside that it is obvious anyway that you aren't just sexually obsessed with her.

Yeah, that irritated me too -- but I could see I wasn't going to get through to her, so I didn't try to enlighten her. My God would never say, "I don't care to associate with you because you do this" -- he's open to whoever wants a relationship with him.

you aren't just sexually obsessed with herJust? Good grief, does everybody think I'm sexually obsessed with Angelina? What did I say to give that impression?

I hate ratings communities with a passion. I know that my journal--and me, personally--would be torn to shreds there.

Recently I tried my hand at rating communities. the first one was for film, and it was very quickly determined that I do not like the 'right sort' of non-pretentious art films.

The second was a gaming community. I didn't even try. I prefer PC games to Xbox et al, and roleplaying and action-adventure to other genres (yep, tried them all!) and this community was heavily skewed towards console games.

Don't waste your time in the future. They're all rubbish. If you're in with God, then you know He doesn't create rubbish, despite what other people think :>

If you're in with God, then you know He doesn't create rubbish, despite what other people thinkAmen to that. :-) Which means that even those antagonistic 'reviewers' aren't rubbish -- just very misguided.

Don't sweat it. That community is hideous. I had much the same experience. Read about it, if you'd like. They hate me. I'm smarter than them. :D

Oh, and cyns is a giant hypocrite. He was all over me for deleting my post because I allegedly couldn't handle the criticism. I just wasn't up for a flam war. Turns out when he got heavily criticized at a different reviewing community, he did the same. Here's how I know.

Anyway, I read a little of your journal. It's ok. I don't like or agree with your thoughts on politics or religion, but your journal isn't terrible. Like most people who value real criticism, though, I'll bet you knew that and were hoping to find out where the room is for improvement.

Interesting... I was reviewed at youcantwrite, and I wasn't accepted. But, I also wasn't flamed. Seems like I am one of very few people to whom this happened. My journal is boring to people who don't know me in real life; the reviewers told me so; I accepted it and moved on. That was all that happened. No flaming, no bitter posts to my personal journal... because it isn't worth it. It's an online journal rating community. They have absolutely no bearing on anything you do in your life, so why get so up in arms about it?

You're probably sick of the whole journal review thing, but I just want to say that I kind of like reading it. A lot of it (at least recently; I've only read part of your front page) refers to a lot of things that I don't know anything about, which is a bit discouraging. But I can see you're a great writer, and I wish you the best in your continuing recovery and relationship with God.

e freaking gads. obviously they .. grah. i can't even put into words what i'm feeling in regards to their outrageous "review".

anyhoo. just on MY particular opinion on your journal: you're a fresh breath of relief when it comes to livejournals. i find you extremely intelligent, very spiritual, infinitely filled with thoughts and emotions that i have been going through myself, though haven't exactly realized until finding you.